Recovery Time: FUE vs. FUT Hair Transplants

Anyone who’s considering hair transplantation will understandably have a lot of questions. What can I expect from the procedure? Will it be painful? And most commonly: How long will recovery take?

This commonly asked question doesn’t have a very straightforward answer though as recovery is dependent on several different factors, including the size of your transplant.

Your physical recovery won’t take long at all and only requires you to wait a few days for the scalp to heal. However, the length of time it will take for you to confidently return to your usual social and work activities will depend on how small or large your transplant is.

The two different hair transplant procedures differ in terms of downtime and recovery.

Hair transplant recovery times

FUT hair transplantation

The Follicular unit transplantation method is a one-day procedure and uses a process called strip harvesting, where a thin strip of hair is removed from the donor area. The FUT method causes minimal scarring, with there being very few signs that a surgery has even taken place by the end of the first week. An FUT hair transplant will require a slightly longer recovery period and some extra post-surgical care. Most patients can expect to return to their usual work and social activities 2 to 3 days after their surgery but if you know that you have a tendency to feel slightly more self-conscious than most, you may want to wait at least 10 to 14 days before stepping out into public.

FUE hair transplantation

Medici Capelli is a specialised hair transplant clinic in Brisbane & Gold Coast that offers the Follicular unit extraction transplantation method. This hair transplantation method is one of the more popular options and offers excellent results. The FUE method is also a one-day procedure that is performed under local anaesthetic and offers quick recovery times. During this particular procedure, individual donor grafts are extracted and transplanted, which can take anywhere from 2 to 6 hours, depending on how many grafts a patient requires. The average patient will be able to return to work and their usual social activities within 1 to 2 days. The dressing that will be applied to the patient’s donor site can be removed the very next day and a post-surgical follow-up visit will be required three days after the surgery.

Hair growth expectations

Your newly transplanted hair will grow at the same rate and with the same density as your existing hair. Whether you’ve opted for the FUE or FUT hair transplant method, new growth will become visible after about 3 months.

When it comes to deciding on the best hair transplant procedure for you, it’s best to speak to a qualified physician instead of trying to make that decision yourself. A hair loss specialist knows exactly what to look for when evaluating each hair loss case and will be able to advise you on the procedure that will give you the best results based on various criteria.